118 | Н. P. STEENSBY. 
1910—11 travelled in the district and lived amongst the Eskimo аз one of 
themselves. 
_ As regards habitation Coronation Gulf constitutes a centre similar 
to the estuary of Back River with its adjacent straits and skerries. 
Towards the east it is separated from this Netchillik domain by the long 
stretch of coast between the Adelaide and Kent Peninsulas, which partly 
consists of stratified rock, and partly of granite and gneiss and is usually 
provided with skerries. In August 1839, Simpson everywhere found the 
pack-ice from Victoria Strait lying close up to the outer coasts of the 
skerries, and right in to land where skerries were wanting. On the other hand, 
the water within the skerries was free from ice and “clear as crystal”. 
This stretch of coast is, perhaps, not permanently inhabited. The old tent- 
sites and remains of store-caches which SIMPSON came across were only scattered, 
and the traces did not begin to become frequent until after he had left 
Dease Strait and had come to the western end of Simpson Strait. On the 
south coast of Victoria Land, at Dease Strait, CoLLinson found no signs of 
habitation. On the other hand, in 1905, on the east coast GODFRED 
HANSEN came across a group of Eskimo who probably have belonged to 
the tribe (Ekollugtogmiut) which STEFANSSON allots to Albert Edward Bay. 
From STEFANSSON, as previously mentioned, we have got further informa- 
tion regarding the settlement at the indentations on the south-west coast of 
Wollaston Land and Prince Albert Land, whereby it appears that the 
settlement is more comprehensive and extends further into Prince of Wales 
Strait than CoLLINson’s observations in 1851—1852 led us to suppose. 
STEFANSSON’S observations also show that the narrow stretch along Dolphin 
and Union strait and the adjacent mainland coast are not uninhabited, as 
one had reason to expect from the fact that RICHARDSON twice passed the 
strait without meeting Eskimo. The region, which with its groups of islands 
in the strait must also be regarded as good Eskimo territory, is inhabited 
by several groups of Eskimo, the forefathers of whom must have been 
hunting in the interior during RICHARDSON’s visit. STEFANSSON gives these 
groups or tribes different names, which are, however, immaterial to us in 
this connection. The same applies to his names for the groups which, on 
a map, he places in the area between Dolphin and Union Strait and Dease 
Strait, although it is the first time that we get further information about 
these matters. 
Coronation Gulf itself constitutes an oblong basin which is connected with 
the adjacent waters only by narrow straits. The straits as well as the Gulf 
itself are studded with numerous islets, so that the water is to be understood 
as a confusion of channels rather than as a large sheet of water. As a line 
across the mouth of the Coppermine River and the west side of Coronation 
Gulf more or less forms the western boundary of the large archaean area 
of North-east America, the coasts of Coronation Gulf essentially consist of 
steep granite and gneiss cliffs, although the country is rather low, and the 
islands are real skerries or steep rocky isles built up of granite, trap or 
